System operators, such a cable television service providers or content providers, generally, often provide set top boxes (STBs) to customers. STBs are generally connected between an incoming physical cable, wire, or other broadband connection and a nearby television set (or computer). As is well-known, STBs are conventionally used to, for example, demodulate and unscramble (as necessary) signals for standard television, pay per view, video on demand, gaming data, and other content that is broadcast from a head end of the system operator. The incoming data may be encoded in accordance with, for example, the Internet Protocol (IP) and be compliant with emerging IP television (“IPTV”) systems.
System operators invest significantly in purchasing STBs, and then installing the STBs on customer premises. While a system operator may, over time, recoup the cost of the STBs through subscription fees, it may be months or even years before the cost associated with a given STB and its installation is fully recaptured. It is therefore particularly frustrating for an incumbent system operator when a competing system operator is not only able to convince a given customer to switch service to the competing system operator, but is also able to use (or “poach”) the incumbent system operator's STB that is already in place on the customer premises. To the extent the incumbent system operator has not already recaptured the cost of the STB, that cost may be forever lost.
It is therefore desirable to provide a methodology or technique to better control STB assets belonging to an incumbent system operator.